I discovered MA Hockey League through a good friend of mine and have been able to play ice hockey regularly in Somerville ever since. It's creator, Matthew P. is a fantastic guy who works very hard to bring affordable, structured clinics, pickup game and even league matches to the masses through a combination of the website and at-the-rink check-ins and I've been able to do all three of those every week and it's been fantastic. And while I've only been doing in Somerville, he also does run the same kind of operation of various days of the week in other towns like Dedham, Hingham, Bedford and Rockland. The quality of the coaches for the clinics is top notch and one of them even played professional hockey out in Germany. They're all very experienced and professional, and I cannot believe how much progress I've made working with them. And even though you're in a group, they will give you individual attention when needed to help fix a few things about your stride, puck handling or game to try and squeeze every bit of talent out of you to make you a better player. As far as the pickup games and league matches go, every single time I've attended such games, it's been great. The teams are almost always very balanced, and there's always been two goalies which is a huge plus (and a rarity in a lot of cases). I cannot recommend MA Hockey League enough and you can find out more about them on their website which includes scheduling information, payment options and much more. I look forward to playing every week and Matt has made this a breeze. Plus I got to meet a ton of great people in the way, from the coaches to the players. read more

MA Hockey League - Skating Rinks Near Me - Framingham, Massachusetts

Sincerely run by people who know hockey. A lot of convenient times to play. But their website for booking games is difficult to work (contrasted with the ez to use StinkySocks league). read more

This is strictly a review for their beginner class, not the league. Last June I had never played hockey before and had just finished a non-hockey learn-to-skate class with another organization. When I inquired online, I was assured by Matt that my skill level was appropriate. Here's why I am giving such a low rating: 1. Hardly any beginners One problem is they jam too many different skill levels into this class. The description said "for those new to the game" AND "those looking to get back into it after an injury." This could be a huge difference in levels. And it was. This class had about 2 or 3 of us who were truly beginners and the rest were obviously experienced skaters. I've since taken classes from other organizations and found out this is very common. But on their website they said we would be broken up into smaller groups according to ability and that never happened. When I asked an experienced classmate why she didn't sign up for the C/D skills clinic right after this class instead, she had no idea there was one. I blame the organization for that. On my application, it asked for my skill level. So why didn't anyone tell these advanced players they shouldn't be in a beginner class and should sign up for the skills clinic instead which is more appropriate for their level? 2. The coach didn't actually 'teach' His class consisted of telling us what to do for a drill and demonstrating it once himself. That's it. Not 'how' to do what he was asking. In the very first class we were passing to a partner. I had never held a hockey stick before in my life and I couldn't keep the puck flat on the ice; it kept rolling. Nobody came and told me what I was doing wrong; I had to look it up on YouTube when I got home. 3. The drills were way above a beginner level The coach totally tailored it to the advanced players. This was one of the drills on the first day: Coach: I want you to skate to the blue line and do a hockey stop, then the red line and stop, then the far blue line and stop. I want a quick take-off. You can do a cross-over or run on your toes. Go. (I had no idea how to do a hockey stop, much less run on my toes). A few weeks later, he set up some cones in a W pattern. We were supposed to go forward to one, backward to the next, etc. And the transitions were supposed to be using a mohawk. I sent an email to Matt early on complaining that it wasn't a beginner class at all and we weren't being broken into small groups according to ability, and was told "you can get better by watching the others." The final straw came when the coach started demonstrating the next drill while I was still finishing up the previous one. He had done that before, but this time he was skating in the same space as me and I had to get out of his way. When I got home I emailed Matt and asked for a refund for the remaining classes. I wasn't being taught anything and it was a complete waste of money for me. I am glad to say that they did refund the remaining classes without any problems. So it's really all about what coach you get. You might have a totally different experience. We had a sub one week (Derrick) who was great. I've also noticed now that there is no beginner class listed anymore, so that tells you something. Since then I've taken the learn-to-play class with FMC Ice Sports instead for three sessions so far and am much happier with them. read more

I started with MA Hockey League in the fall of 2013. I had only skated a little as a young kid, so I was excited there was a skills clinic for adults looking to learn to play hockey. I initially signed up for just the league thinking I would be fine, but the owner, Matt, gave me the advice that I should check out the skills clinic at first and that he would let me try it at no extra charge that first day. Boy was he right! I was not nearly good enough to be playing on a team without going to the skills clinic first. Matt added me to a team as a free agent and the team I was on was much more skilled that I, but welcomed me and helped me get better. I never felt like I was dragging them down (even though I was) and it was a lot of fun. We even ended up winning the league championship. Ma Hockey League has really grown since then, and I have done many other leagues and mat a lot of people, including a great group of people I play with on a regular basis and we have formed our own team for MA Hockey Leagues and tournaments. If you are like I was, and have never played before, MA Hockey League is a great starting point to learn the skills you need to be able to play for the rest of your life. read more

Thus league is the best run league I've been in. Very balanced league with divisions for all skill sets... beginners to advanced. The clinics are convenient and a value. The staff is very supportive and lets you take it at your own pace. You can buy packages or pay as you go. There is always a good balance in the leagues. Games are professionally refereed and they keep individual stats and standings. There are several options for times and locations. They're now offering youth divisions and over 30 leagues as well. I'm patiently waiting for the over 40 to open up! :-) read more

I skated with the MAHL for the last 2,5 years. My company has decided to "trade" me back to Vienna, Austria in October, and MAHL is one thing I will definitely miss when I leave from here! It was a great pleasure to play these leagues - it was all perfectly organized and really worth the money! Met nice and relaxed people, had a lot of fun and - most important - really nice, clean and fair hockey!! Matt organizes the league really perfectly well - never once experienced a cancellation or Refs not showing up, never once short of a Goalie in a pick-up game, no matter whether it is at 6:30 in the morning or 23:00 in the evening.... just awesome! Can fully recommend if you look for a well-organized fun-to-play but yet competitive league! read more

If you want dedicated but not over the top coaching, or a fun game that's either matched to your skill level or filled with people who want to help you get better: look no further. In comparison to the other leagues around the area I've found MA Hockey league to be filled with more relaxed people and a more consistently excellent game. MA Hockey rarely struggles to find goaltenders and is able to keep benches evenly matched as well leading to fun and fast paced games. On top of this customer service is fantastic. Emails are replied to quickly and there always seems to be a solution when you have an issue or want someone to go the extra mile for you. For fun and quality of play: this is the place to go read more

MA Hockey League runs a mix of pickup and league games as well as instructional clinics year-round. Although the organization is out of Belmont, skates are held in Somerville, Rockland, Bedford, and Dedham. They also do seasonal events like a hockey boot camp, pond hockey games, outdoor games, and tournaments. As someone getting back into hockey I am giving them 5 stars for running a no-BS just get out and play league that is always trying something new. If you can commit to a league or clinic there are good discounts and payment plans that allow you to get affordable ice time. If your schedule isn't as certain, there are plenty of pickup skates and opportunities to substitute as time permits. They run more goalie clinics than other groups and skater instruction under Brendan is top rate. Their bread and butter formats are 4x4 and 3x3 which translates into games with lots of chances to shoot or stop the puck. Its not as formal as NESHL (2 refs, more statistics) and if you want full-ice 5x5 pickup Stinky Socks has many more skates, but definitely 5 stars if you just want to get on the ice and push some rubber around. read more